SAVORING CALIFORNIA: A COMPARATIVE TASTING OF CALIFORNIA FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

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1 SAVORING CALIFORNIA: A COMPARATIVE TASTING OF CALIFORNIA FRUITS AND VEGETABLES OVERVIEW Students taste two or more varieties of a particular kind of fruit or vegetable, develop language to describe its nuances, and learn about its growing requirements and seasonality. GRADE LEVEL: 3 5 CENTER FOR ECOLITERACY

2 Copyright 2015 Center for Ecoliteracy Published by Learning in the Real World CALIFORNIA FOOD FOR CALIFORNIA KIDS downloadable resource All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this report may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. Center for Ecoliteracy David Brower Center 2150 Allston Way, Suite 270 Berkeley, CA For more information about this activity, or visit Learning in the Real World is a publishing imprint of the Center for Ecoliteracy, a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization. Created in 1997, Learning in the Real World offers resources to support schooling for sustainability, stories of school communities, and the ecological framework that informs the work of the Center. 2

3 SAVORING CALIFORNIA: A COMPARATIVE TASTING OF CALIFORNIA FRUITS AND VEGETABLES TASTING OVERVIEW California grows nearly half of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts in the United States, thanks to its rich soil, multitude of microclimates, and long growing season. While most Californians are familiar with some of these crops oranges, for example they may not know the wide variety of citrus and other produce grown here. By sampling and describing an array of fruit or vegetable varieties, students learn about California s seasons and microclimates, develop their palates, and expand their vocabularies. LESSON OVERVIEW Students taste two or more varieties of a particular kind of fruit or vegetable, develop language to describe its nuances, and learn about its growing requirements and seasonality. GRADES 3-5 LENGTH One 45-minute class period 3

4 LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students will: Become familiar with some of the fruits and vegetables grown in California; Expand their vocabularies to describe the taste, texture, and smells of food; Learn ways to incorporate more California-grown produce into their diets throughout the year. STANDARDS CONNECTIONS NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS Science and Engineering Practices Planning and Carrying Out Investigations Make observations and/or measurements to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence for an explanation of a phenomenon or test a design solution. Disciplinary Core Ideas Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Lives 5-PS3.D. The energy released from food was once energy from the sun that was captured by plants in the chemical process that forms plant matter (from air and water). Disciplinary Core Ideas Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems 5-LS2.A. The food of almost any animal can be traced back to plants. Organisms are related in food webs in which some animals eat plants for food and other animals eat the animals that eat plants. COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS Language L.3.5, L.4.5, and L.5.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. 4

5 VOCABULARY Varieties (as in fruit or vegetables) Hybrids Seasonal Microclimate (Also see the Fruit and Vegetable Adjectives student handout) MATERIALS 2 to 5 varieties or hybrids of one type of fruit or vegetable, enough of each to display whole and to enable all students to taste Toothpicks Serving trays Napkins Waste bucket (see Preparation) Student handouts Map of California PREPARATION Purchase two or more varieties of a fruit or vegetable that is in season in your area. For example, you might provide different citruses such as oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, or pomelos. Provide enough so that each student can taste each variety. Oranges, apples, sweet peppers, tomatoes, leafy greens, berries, and pears are usually available in grocery stores and at farmers markets. 5

6 For each of the varieties you have chosen, find out where it is grown, any special conditions or requirements for growing, and when it is in season where you live. Thoroughly wash the produce and display examples of the whole items on a tray. Cut the rest into bite-size pieces for students to taste, and place the pieces on trays. Provide toothpicks for picking up food samples. Have a waste bucket on hand for collecting fruit and vegetable scraps to compost. (Note that citrus peels may take a while to break down, so you might want to cut them into smaller pieces.) Make copies of the Taste Test student handout for each student. For the Fruit and Vegetable Adjectives student handout, you may make one copy for each small group or table, or project it onto a screen for the whole class to see. DIRECTIONS 1 Show students the tray with the whole produce, ask them to identify each variety, and discuss the seasons when each is available in your region. 2 Tell students that they will have the opportunity to taste these varieties, which are all grown in California and are currently in season. Discuss what it means to be in season. 3 Distribute copies of the Taste Test student handout and explain that one goal of this lesson is to expand the students vocabularies for describing foods. They should only use words that provide specific information about the produce avoiding words such as gross or yucky that are not descriptive. Have them refer to the Fruit and Vegetable Adjectives student handout for more accurate descriptors. 6

7 4 Pass around the whole varieties of the fruit or vegetable and instruct students to hold each one, noticing its weight, color, texture, and smell. Ask them to record their observations on the student handout. 5 Distribute cut-up food samples, telling students to try one taste of each variety. Invite them to continue to complete the student handout for each variety that they taste. 6 Discuss their impressions, encouraging them to expand their descriptions. 7 Using a map of California, discuss where that fruit or vegetable is grown, what special conditions or requirements are necessary for its growth, and when it is in season in the region. 8 Discuss easy ways to include these foods in one s diet. EXTENDED LEARNING Have students research the health and medicinal benefits of the fruit or vegetable they explored in the activity. Challenge each student to find a recipe that features their favorite fruit or vegetable. Visit a farmers market to see the range of seasonal fruits and vegetables that are grown in the region. ASSESSMENT Read through completed student handouts to evaluate students ability to use a variety of vocabulary words to accurately describe fresh foods. 7

8 RESOURCES California Agricultural Almanac. This website provides an interactive map and database of crops, farms, farmers markets, and agriculture events in California. California [almond, citrus, tomato, etc.]. A search term for finding one of the many boards, councils, or commissions (such as the Almond Board of California) that represent each of California s largest crops and provide state-specific information about that crop. California Crop Harvest Calendar. A listing of typical harvest dates for a wide range of fruits and vegetables grown in California. Fruit Facts. Information about California fresh fruit, including the availability of specific fruit varieties and the origin and nutritional content of and recipes for each fruit type. Harvest of the Month: Produce List and Criteria. A list of the California-grown fruits and vegetables featured each month in the Harvest of the Month school lunch program. Seasonality Charts. CUESA. Extensive lists of the produce available at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco, useful for determining seasonality in other Northern California locales. Sustainable Seed Company. Descriptions and growing information about lots of different vegetable and other plant varieties. 8

9 BACKGROUND California s mild, Mediterranean climate allows farmers to grow an astounding diversity of fruits and vegetables. But even here, most crops are harvested and available fresh only during specific times of the year. That s because nearly all food plants grow best when day lengths and soil and air temperatures are within that plant s optimal ranges. Seasonality of food refers to the time of year when a given type of fruit or vegetable is at its peak harvest and has the best flavor. In stores and markets, fruits and vegetables in season are also often cheapest and freshest. While today s global trade enables us to buy just about any fruit or vegetable at any time of the year, out-of-season produce often travels over 1,000 miles from farm to table, and may come from as far away as South America or Asia. Seasonality charts can provide a general sense of when specific fruits and vegetables are ripe in your area. Keep in mind, though, that most of these charts show general growing seasons, and are not specific to local microclimates or plant varieties, which may cause a crop to come into season earlier or later than shown. When gardeners and botanists talk about plant varieties, they are referring to something more specific than just a selection of plants. A variety is a variant of the species that differs from others of the species in minor but heritable ways. For example, different varieties of apples have skins that are deep red, pink, golden, and green. A variety s name is written in italics as the third word in the plant s botanical name, after the genus and species (such as celery: Apium graveolens var. dulce). People choose to grow different varieties of a fruit or vegetable for a number of reasons. Some varieties, like early or late tomatoes, can extend the growing season. Some are more disease- or drought-resistant, or more adaptable to different growing conditions, than other varieties. Still others offer interesting colors or pleasing flavors. 9

10 TASTE TEST FRUIT OR VEGETABLE: VARIETY NAME APPEARANCE SMELL TASTE WHERE GROWN GROWING REQUIREMENTS SEASON HARVESTED OTHER NOTES

11 STUDENT HANDOUT FRUIT AND VEGETABLE ADJECTIVES acidic aftertaste aromatic astringent bitter bland creamy crisp crunchy delicious delightful distinctive divine drippy dry dull extraordinary fantastic fiery flat flavorful flavorless fleshy fragile fresh fruity gorgeous greasy gritty harsh hearty heavenly hot intense intriguing juicy layered leathery lemony light lightly salted lip-smacking lively luscious mashed mellow mild minty mixture of moist mouth-watering nutty oily overpowering penetrating peppery pickled piquant 11

12 STUDENT HANDOUT FRUIT AND VEGETABLE ADJECTIVES, CONTINUED plain pleasant plump prickly pulpy pungent rancid refreshing rich ripe robust rotten rubbery salty satiny savory scrumptious sharp silky smelly smoky smooth soothing sour spicy spongy sprinkled stale steamed sticky strong succulent sugary superb sweet sweet-and-sour syrupy tangy tantalizing tart tasteless tasty tender terrific tough unflavored unsavory unseasoned vanilla flavored velvety vinegary warm waxy zesty zingy 12

13 ABOUT THE CENTER FOR ECOLITERACY The Center for Ecoliteracy is an internationally recognized leader in systems change innovations in education for sustainable living. Since 1995, the Center has engaged with thousands of educators from across the United States and six continents. The Center offers publications, seminars, academic program audits, coaching for teaching and learning, in-depth curriculum development, keynote presentations, and technical assistance. Books authored or coauthored by the Center for Ecoliteracy include Ecoliterate: How Educators Are Cultivating Emotional, Social, and Ecological Intelligence (Jossey-Bass, 2012); Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability (Watershed Media, 2009); and Ecological Literacy: Educating Our Children for a Sustainable World (Sierra Club Books, 2005). CREDITS Authors Carolie Sly, Leslie Comnes Editor Michael K. Stone Designer Karen Brown PHOTOS Cover citrus stack: istockphoto , CarlKeyes, lemon leaf: istockphoto , Anna